SmartGrowth

Over the next 15 years, how do we create communities that are green, inclusive, and economically robust — and also cool places to be? Can we breathe new life into city centers that are rundown and in desperate need of an economic injection? Will rural areas find ways to grow that also retain their rural character, or are subdivisions and parking lots the future of our open space? Do we want to build auto-dependent suburban communities or walkable suburban communities?

Lest we arrive at the future without having given much thought to these issues, the Smart Growth Network—a group of 40 organizations, including EPA— is asking everyone with an interest in communities to join a national conversation on smart growth. What is your image of the ideal community and what will it take to get us there by 2027?

I had been tangentially involved in the “National Conversation” until recently, when I learned that I will be coordinating EPA’s support to the Network in the fall. So, EPA, let’s get the conversation going!

Submit blog posts, videos, and photos describing your image of the ideal community. This portion of the conversation will launch in late summer 2012. Submission details will be available by July 9 at http://smartgrowth.org/nationalconversation.

Share this invitation with your contacts.The Network is seeking input from people who work on smart growth every day and from people who don’t. EPA staff work on a lot of issues that touch on community design, planning, and development (environmental justice; brownfield development; water; air quality; urban, suburban, and rural development; health; green buildings; the list is very long). But even if these issues aren’t a part of your daily work, you live in a community and probably have opinions about what a good one looks and feels like. All voices are welcome.

Select submissions will be posted on http://smartgrowth.org/nationalconversation and shared widely among smart growth organizations. Submissions may also be featured at the National Partners for Smart Growth Conference in Kansas City, MO, Feb. 7-9, 2013.
About the author: Susan Conbere is a Communications Specialist with EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities in Washington, DC.

Editor's Note:
The opinions expressed here are those of the author. They do not reflect EPA policy, endorsement, or action, and EPA does not verify the accuracy or science of the contents of the blog.

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